Amphibia: Calamity Warriors
Chapter Fifty-Eight: Loose Ends
Months prior…
Sasha Waybright had never been more frightened in her life.
One minute, she was with her best friends at the playground, opening a curious music box, and the next minute, she was running for her life from a giant wolf spider. She was running as fast as her legs could carry her to escape the giant arachnid chasing her, its jaws snapping at her heels. It's only thanks to her stamina from cheerleading that she was able to stay alive.
But the wolf spider wouldn't give up so easily.
Sasha kept running, but she failed to notice the root of a tree sticking out of the ground that tripped her, causing her to tumble to the ground. Looking up, she saw the giant wolf spider getting closer, the blonde scrambling to get to her feet, but before the giant arachnid could get close, something sliced it in half, the two halves falling to the ground.
Confused, she saw a humanoid figure land on the ground with grace, swinging their legs to wipe the blood off the blades on their greaves.
"Nailed it!" The figure declared, his back to Sasha.
Sasha looked in awe at what had happened before her and let out a relieved sigh.
"Thanks, dude." She said with a grateful smile. "You really saved…my…"
Her words died in her throat when the figure turned around, revealing to be a humanoid newt with dark blue skin and dark brown hair, his golden eyes sparkling with confidence.
Upon getting a better look at the newt, Sasha's mind swarmed with confusion and shock.
"What. The heck. Are YOU?!" She exclaimed in complete shock.
The newt looked at her with mild confusion. "What? You never seen a newt like me before?" He asked.
"Not at all!" Sasha yelled, scrambling to her feet, and looking around at her surroundings. "What is this place? Am I in California still?!"
The newt tilted his head. "Cali-forn-ia? What part of Amphibia is that?"
Sasha stared in shock, her mind racing.
"You mean to say…that I'm not on Earth anymore…" Sasha said, her tone full of dread.
"Earth? As in…the dirt?" The newt asked, kicking at the ground for emphasis.
Sasha then started pacing, trying to rationalize things before slumping against a tree, breathing heavy and her mind in a whirlwind of panic.
Seeing this, the newt looked around, unsure what to do, until he approached the distraught girl. He then crouched down to her level and gently rubbed her back.
"Hey, try to relax, okay?"
Hearing the newt's words and feeling his gentle touch, Sasha started to calm down before looking up at him.
"Look, I don't know what happened or where you're from," He continued, a reassuring smile on his face. "But, I promise, I'll help you out."
"Really?" Sasha asked.
"One hundred!" He nodded. "I serve in the army, and the army tower isn't too far away. If you come with me, I'll talk to my captain, get him to help you out." He then offered a hand. "Whaddya say?"
Looking at the hand, then at the newts smiling face, Sasha smiled before accepting it.
"I'd like that."
"That's the spirit!" He declared. "Anyways, the name's Damien. Damien Fausta!" The newt declared, pointing a thumb at himself and grinning. "And you?"
Smiling at the newts charm, Sasha introduced herself. "Sasha. Sasha Waybright."
And soon enough, after Sasha had proven herself to the toads, a beautiful friendship started to blossom between the two. And perhaps, something more…
Present day…
It was the morning after the Calamity Group had been visited by the salamander brothers Elijah and Raidon, who had invited them to the homeland of the salamanders. While Shadow was still hesitant, due to the actions he committed in the past, he knew that they had no other choice.
Back at the tea shoppe, Sasha felt her eyes flutter open to the sun shining through the window. Letting out a yawn, Sasha sat up, but almost let out a startled yelp when she saw Ivy standing on the end of the bed.
"Good morning." The yellow frog girl said with a smile. "Sleep well?"
Sasha blinked a few times before regaining her composure. "Who're you?" She asked.
"Name's Ivy. Ivy Sundew." Ivy replied. "I remember you, Sasha, from Toad Tower. You know, when you tricked us with that fake feast and tried to kill our friends." She said that last statement with a hardened glare.
Sasha rolled her eyes in response. "Look, it's nothing personal. I was just doing my job." She said. "Besides, your friends were political liabilities."
"Yeah, that didn't give you the right to try and kill them." Ivy said flatly. "And, to be frank, you had that beat down coming."
Sasha's face turned sour for a moment before sighing. "Whatever." She got out of bed and proceeded to go to the bathroom and shutting the door behind her, the sound of the shower turning on being heard. "I already have nightmares and the scorn of this town to deal with, I don't need anything else messing me up today."
"Whatever you say." Ivy scoffed.
"I'm serious." Sasha said aloud, the shower turning off before the blonde human stepped out, cladded in her armor. "I have a whole mess to deal, so do me a favor and don't add any more."
"Sure." Ivy shrugged. "By the way, you tend to grind your teeth whenever you sleep."
Sasha watched her leave before sighing, pinching the bridge of her nose. As if dealing with one annoying little frog was bad enough, now she had to deal with two of them.
Steeling her nerves, she left her room and went downstairs, and into the dining area of the shop where other frogs were dining. Some of the customers were choosing to ignore Sasha, while others gave her sharp glares, remembering the events of Toad Tower and still holding grudges.
Choosing to ignore them, Sasha made to leave the shop.
"Leaving so soon?" Felicia called, making the blonde girl stop to see the owner having set up one of the tables with breakfast. "At least have some breakfast first."
Sasha considered this for a second, then the growling of her stomach made her comply as she sat down.
"Thanks." She said with a nod. "I'm surprised you would serve me breakfast after…"
"Anne and Shadow insisted." Felicia said. "They assured me that you're turning over a new leaf."
Sasha frowned at this. She could definitely see Anne asking the folks in this town to give the blonde a chance. But Shadow? The Wolf had been giving her a hard time ever since she came back in the picture, and even more so after the vision of his past he had forcefully showed. That had only strengthened her resolve even more.
And yet, she felt some level of doubt. She saw the way he interacted with the others, the way he smiled; he looked so relaxed. Something she hadn't seen before, and yet, clearly Anne saw something in him.
"Look, I understand that you have some reservations about this." Felicia said. "But at least give him a chance. He's a kind, gentle soul who helped this town through many trails and tribulations."
Sasha thought for a moment before turning to the tea shop owner. "Did he tell you…about his past?" She asked.
"I only know that he's a tortured soul who's been through a lot." Felicia told her. "He's not so bad, once you peel away the surface level and understand his point of view."
As the tea shop owner walked off, Sasha ate her breakfast in silence, contemplating what she was told. Between what she was told by Felicia, Anne, and even Shadow, she was still conflicted.
After finishing her breakfast, Sasha got up and exited the tea shop, making her way down the dirt path. She kept walking until she arrived at the recently repaired manor. Thankfully, the Frobot Brothers did a good job, even reinforcing the wood.
Entering the manor, she saw her friends and Shadow's group gathered around the dining room, a map of Amphibia laid out on the table.
"So, those salamander guys are really inviting us to their homeland." Sprig said. "Anyone else suspecting a trap?"
"Maybe it's a test for Shadow." Hop Pop suggested. "To see if he's actually repenting for his past mistakes."
"I wouldn't call them mistakes." Clarissa said under her breath.
Sasha walked over to Anne, the Thai girl taking notice of the blonde and smiled.
"Sleep well?" She asked. "Where are the others?"
"They went to salvage what they could from the old tower." Sasha shrugged.
This was a lie. In reality, Sasha's group went to meet with the Toad Lords to make sure they were prepared for the coming invasion of Newtopia.
Thankfully, Anne seemed to buy the lie. "Okay, that's fair." She nodded.
"And where's Marcy?" Sasha asked a question in return.
"She went to grab some potions, with Valor accompanying her." Anne answered. "Right now, we're making plans for the big trip."
"You shoulda seen how excited Marcy looked when we shared the news." Ina chuckled. "She was talking a million miles a minute, scribbling all sorts in her journal."
"I'll be honest, it's endearing." Apollo chuckled. "Her interest in such things is inspiring."
"That's Marcy for you." Anne nodded. "Once she sees something that sparks her interest, she jots it down in her journal."
"At any rate, we will need to prepare for the journey westward." Shadow said, pointing at the southern part of Amphibia. "Just in the shadow of the western toad tower lies a fishing village that has a port for large ships. They should have a ship big enough to hold our party and a sizable crew to manage it."
"Sounds like a good plan." Anne nodded. "How soon do we head out?"
"Once we've finished our business here." Hop Pop said. "We'll be out of town a lot longer, especially given that we're going to a whole 'nother continent."
"Are we bringing Frobo and Echo?" Polly asked, gesturing to the mechanical frog robots. "It'd be wrong to leave them at home alone."
"Of course we are!" Kaemon declared. "The more help we have, the higher our chance of success."
Just then, there was knock on the door, prompting Sprig to walk over to answer. Opening the door, he was surprised to see Valeriana on the other side.
"Greetings, Calamity Warriors." The old salamander greeted with a wave of her hand-tail.
"Calamity Warriors?" Sasha repeated in confusion.
"It's a title for our group. Pretty cool, right?" Anne said before turning her attention to the salamander. "What brings you in, Val?"
"Am I right to assume you were visited by Elijah and Raidon and invited to the land of Izanagi?" Valeriana asked. "I apologize for not coming that night, old age has been taking its toll."
"Guess immortality doesn't equal full of energy." Ina said jokingly.
"So, what brings you in this time?" Shadow questioned.
"Only to help you prepare for the journey westward." Valeriana explained. "And perhaps, share some more history of Amphibia."
"No offense, but Shadow's already told us a lot." Anne said. "What could you share that we haven't already heard?"
"Perhaps the point of view from someone who was actually there?" The old mystic offered.
Everyone looked at each other before turning their heads to Clarissa.
"Don't look at me." She said, holding her hands up a bit.
"Right, you were there." Anne nodded. "Before things went…you know…"
Just then, the two toads and Damien entered the scene, carrying firewood and looking at the conversation they had walked into.
"Are we interrupting something?" Damien asked.
Meanwhile, back in town, Marcy and Valor were walking through the market, getting supplies for the long journey. The whole way, Marcy was giddy with excitement.
"Oh, this is so exciting!" The Taiwanese girl let out an excited squeal before stuffing a few more items into the cart. "We're going to a whole new continent! Oh my gosh, I'm so excited!"
Valor raised his hand and caught a jar of what looked like worms before looking at Marcy.
"When aren't you excited?" He asked nonchalantly. "Also, I feel a sense of déjà vu."
"Shush! I need to focus."
Deciding to leave Marcy to the supply run, the fire boy walked off and sat on a bench to rest his feet. Just then, he heard two frogs talking.
"Hey, have you heard about that creepy cult?" One asked.
His interest piqued; Valor listened in.
"Cult? What're you talking about?" Another asked.
"I heard that there's this cult living in this old ghost town." The first one explained. "I heard that it was once the residence of the Frog Shogun of old!"
"Okay, but what does it have to do with the cult?"
"I heard that this cult worships this weird religion about 'the way of life', or something like that. All lead by some newt named Ue or something."
"Ue? Never heard of him."
"It's all hush-hush, you know? Probably want to be left alone."
Upon hearing the name, Valor felt his blood boil. There was only one person he knew that went by that name. And he was a dangerous adversary.
Getting up, Valor walked back over to Marcy. "Yo, Marce. Something just came up."
Back at the manor, the group sat outside around a campfire, the toads and Damien joining them, along with a reluctant Sasha.
"So, what's this story of yours?" Polly asked.
"It revolves around the old days, before Amphibia was made into one kingdom." Valeriana said, poking at the burning wood with her staff. "Many years ago, there were twenty tribes, all fighting for control. In the middle of this conflict, I was there, a young girl when my people first arrived at the mainland. The inhabitants weren't very keen on outsiders, but some of the leaders were more than happy to welcome us." With a wiggle of her fingers, the old salamander made the embers of the campfire swirl, forming the image of the continent of Amphibia before forming the image of a younger Valeriana, back when she had her other arm.
"Aw, you look so adorable." Anne said.
Sasha only rolled her eyes.
"I was the daughter of one of the settlers who took place in the west." Valeriana explained. "And the first tribe we befriended was the Black Hope; a tribe of frogs that follow the way of the sword."
Ina gasped. "Is this how you met Shen?!" She asked.
"That's right, child." The old salamander nodded, the images changing once again to several figures; a frog, a toad, a newt, and a salamander. "It was here that I met the ones who would become my friends. Boris, the Unyielding Force. Amenadiel, the Great Mind. And then…" She looked at the frog figure, a smile on her face. "There was Shen, who would soon become known as the Unifier."
"The OG!" Anne declared with a smile.
"Pardon me if I'm assuming, miss," Hop Pop spoke up. "But you speak as though he was someone important to you."
"There is a certain reverence in your tone." Ina pointed out.
"Indeed he was." Valeriana nodded. "In fact, for some time, I was one of his lovers."
Everyone looked with wide eyes. Sprig looked at the image of the Frog Shogun before noticing a few similarities between himself and the samurai; the orange hair, the pink skin color, and the shape of their eyes.
"Hey, he kinda looks like me." He pointed out.
"I've actually been wondering about that for a while since I met you." The old salamander said. "Perhaps you are one of his descendants?"
"You mean we descended from the Shogun?!" Polly exclaimed.
"That seems to be the case." Clarissa shrugged. "Your brother shares his likeliness."
"So does that mean…" Sprig said, looking up at the old salamander.
"I'm not your ancient grandmother, if that's what you're wondering." Valeriana said.
"Actually, that would've been pretty cool." The pink frog said before looking at Clarissa. "Because then we would've been cousins!"
"Preferably, distant." The young warrior-mage scoffed.
"So, you and Shen unified Amphibia?" Anne questioned.
"Yes. Together, the four of us ran a campaign, slowly but surely pulling the continent into one nation."
The image changed again, this time to the continent of Amphibia, once split into twenty states. The separation would decrease, one by one, until the one full nation was formed.
"After our unification efforts were completed, Shen handed out land to the four of us, to share in the glory. The newts were given the wetlands in the north; the toads, the badlands to the east, the salamanders the isles in the west, and the frogs took residence in the valley in the south. The city as you know, Newtopia, was once a neutral ground for all leaders to gather."
The image changed once more, showing the species claimed territory, with Newtopia at the center.
"So, what happened?" Apollo asked.
"It's only natural that you wouldn't know, young Leviathan." Valeriana said. "But this is where things started to fall apart."
The image made of embers shifted again, this time, and much to the shock of the group, several frog-like robots attacking the amphibians.
"Out of nowhere, these mechanized devils appeared and attacked at random." Valeriana continued.
"They look kinda like Frobo and Echo." Anne remarked, looking at the Frobot Brothers.
"It was madness; no one could figure out where the machines were coming from." Valeriana told them, the image then changing to that of an ancient newt. "Until Amenadiel, the chief advisor to the king and ruler of the northern wetlands, had informed him about a secret that could stop the mechanized invaders." The image changed once more, showing the castle fort that would soon become Newtopia Castle. "It was a mission so important, that Shen and his loyal samurai took it on themselves. They agreed to meet Amenadiel for his sensitive intel in the neutral grounds of the would-be castle. The one place where violence was forbidden."
And soon, the embers formed the figures of the leaders, starting with Amenadiel. He was as large as Andrias, if not much larger, wore the armor of a paladin and a greatsword on his back. He had white hair and a small beard on his face, and his eyes were pale yellow.
The next to enter was a large toad with a muscular figure, with dark green skin, yellow eyes and four horns protruding from his head. He wore red armor with a white fur collar next to his shoulder pads and brown leather underneath. He also had a pair of war axes holstered at his sides. This was Boris, leader of the toads in the eastern badlands.
"Now that is a battle toad!" Grime declared.
"Yeah, a true warrior!" Damien chimed in, sharing his captain's sentiment.
Next was a young salamander mage, no doubt Valeriana, still having both arms, her hair held in a neat bun, wearing robes that showed her legs, carrying her staff and a sword.
"Whoa, you look good back then." Anne complimented.
"I used to be quite the bombshell back then." Valeriana chuckled.
And finally, the last one to enter was the Unifier himself, Shen. The Frog Shogun looked almost identical to Sprig, only dressed like a Shogun, his armor black with silver clothing, his helmet removed to show his hair held in a top knot. By his side were twelve samurai warriors.
The Plantars looked at the shogun in awe, especially Sprig.
"Whoa. That's my ancestor?" The young pink frog said in wonder.
"Never took you for a samurai." Polly remarked.
The group watched the ancient warriors stand, all waiting for the wisest newt in history to share what he had discovered.
"This should have been our turning point against the machines." Valeriana said. "But we were not alone."
Suddenly, massive waves of frog robots crashed through the window, swarming the ancient warriors. The warriors stood their ground and fought.
"Despite being overwhelmed by their sheer numbers, we stood as one." Valeriana said, watching her past self and her allies fighting the mechanical menace. "Our victory was near…until we were betrayed."
Suddenly, one of the samurai was impaled by a greatsword from behind. The body fell dead, the assailant revealed to be Amenadiel, the Shogun's most trusted advisor, and closest friend, much to the shock of the group. One by one, the samurai's fell, even Boris fell from the swing of the newt's greatsword.
Valeriana watched her younger self stare at the treacherous newt in shock before her expression gave way to rage before she charged with her sword, clashing with the traitor, only for him to riposte, his blade cutting her arm clean off, making her scream in agony, the older salamander cringing from the sight and instinctively grabbing the stump where her arm once was.
The young Valeriana fell to the ground, blood spewing from the stump, as Amenadiel stood over her and his sword raised to finish the job, only for Shen to jump in and stop him with a swing of his katana. Only the newt and frog were the remaining combatants now.
"Why did you do it, Amenadiel?! We were friends, were we not?!" Shen demanded, staring at the traitorous newt in anger. "Why?!"
Amenadiel only looked at the Frog Shogun with cold eyes before pointing his sword at him, a grin of malicious intent on his face.
"For all the power of Amphibia." He replied.
Driven by anger, Shen lunged at the traitor once more, both swordsmen engaged in a deadly dance of the sword. The young Valeriana watched with weak eyes, hoping that her friend would win…
Sadly, her expression turned to horror as Amenadiel landed a fatal blow on the shogun, knocking his helmet off and sending him tumbling to the ground.
The traitorous newt approached his downed foe. "While you played at courage and honor," He sneered, "I studied you. I knew you. And I built a kingdom out of the cracks in your armor."
The helpless Valeriana and the spectators watched as the traitor held his sword over his head.
"You thought you knew me… but you never did."
And with one swing, the newt slew the Frog Shogun, his body lying on the ground, dead. Eventually, the traitor left, his army of robots following behind.
Still alive, the dismembered Valeriana tied cloth around the stump that was her arm and forced herself to her feet. Looking around, she looked at the fallen bodies of her friends, before her eyes stopped at the frog that was her best friend. Limping to the remains, she fell to her knees by his side, tears running down her face before she broke down crying.
"I was the only survivor of that dreadful day." Valeriana said. "Overnight, Amenadiel took the fort that was once a symbol of our friendship and turned it into his own kingdom built on lies. Shen and his legacy was erased from history, but I never forgot that night. I and several others who survived the betrayal went into hiding, forming the Ancient Order and secretly waging war against the Leviathan Family, waging this war until one day, we would be delivered our salvation."
The group stared in disbelief, Apollo and Ina especially, shocked by the revelations they were shown.
"That's…a lot to take in." Anne spoke up, voicing exactly what everyone was no doubt thinking.
"I can't believe it." Kaemon said. "I mean, I can, just…you know what I mean."
"Yeesh. Guess it runs in the family." Grime remarked, looking at Apollo.
The newt prince only remained silent, as though still processing what he was shown.
"Apollo?" Ina said, concerned for her friend.
"I admit, my family does have a dark past." The prince said. "But we've been cleaning up our act, so to speak. Today, we are not the same as our ancestors."
"And yet, your father hides the dark past." Valeriana frowned, her eyes narrowed. "He pretends to be this benevolent rule, but in reality, he is a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"Do NOT speak of my father that way." Apollo growled, his eye glowing white. "He is far from perfect, but he is no monster!"
"How else did you lose your eye then?" Valeriana challenged. "It doesn't appear as though you got it from battle, so that only leaves one idea…"
Ina's eyes widened in fear. Knowing the prince long enough, she knew one thing that would set him off besides outsiders; it was talking about his damaged eye.
Suddenly, Apollo grabbed Valeriana by the collar and lifted her up, his face filled with anger.
"Don't you DARE bring that up." He growled. "You know nothing about what happened. NOTHING!"
"Dude, calm down!" Anne yelled, trying to pull Valeriana away.
"Get off her!" Clarissa shouted, trying to wrench her grandmother from the prince's grip.
"Apollo, stop!" Shadow said in a stern, commanding tone. "Release her, now!"
Apollo stood firm before pushing Valeriana back, then marching to the guest room and slamming the door behind him.
"That was uncalled for, granny." Ina confronted the older newt. "Apollo's always been sensitive about his eye!"
Valeriana glared at the blue haired girl. "You understand nothing, child." She sneered. "My people suffered unfairly because the actions of the Royal Family."
"That does not give you the right to take it out on him." Shadow spoke up, in defense of his brother. "It's especially wrong to bring up his scars!"
Valeriana remained silent before turning away and walking out the door, gently closing it behind her.
"Is Apollo gonna be okay?" Anne asked, turning to Ina with a worried look.
"Don't worry too much about him." The blue haired girl assured. "He doesn't let stuff like this bother him for long."
Sadly, Ina underestimated just how volatile the prince's temper had become.
Inside the guest room the prince and chief ranger occupied, Apollo was breathing heavy, leaning on the bed post and a hand over the right side of his face. Removing the plating, he rubbed the side of his face, trying to ease the ache he was feeling right now. For as long as he could remember, ever since 'that day', he phantom pain on his face, as though it was on fire. It was something that scarred him for five years.
And that salamander dared to insult him, from his point of view.
Breathing in and out to calm his mind, Apollo reapplied the plating to the side of his face, his eye staring out the window.
"Soon, all of this will be over." He said to himself.
It was only a matter of time before things come to an end.
Back with Valor and Marcy, the two were wondering through the jungle, with Valor taking the lead.
"Valor, what's going on exactly?" Marcy asked.
"I overheard some frogs mentioning someone who should be dead." Valor said darkly. "Ever heard of a newt named Ue?"
"No…" Marcy frowned, uncertainty on her face.
"Well, he's a complete scumbag running a cult." Valor growled. "He might seem charming, delightfully so, but underneath it all, he's a monster, feeding on the bodies of his most fair of followers."
Marcy gasped at this. "No way! How could he get away with this?"
"I was assigned to take him down, but he got away." Valor told her. "But now, I have a chance to finish the job!"
They continued their trek before stopping when they saw a splatter of blood on one of the trees. After examining it, they saw a blood trail leading deeper into the forest. They followed it, each splatter of blood before coming upon a large structure that looked like a Japanese palace, complete with crumbling six-foot-high walls and small buildings around the inside of the compound.
Marcy looked at the wall in awe. "Whoa. I never saw anything like this!" She said in a slight whisper.
"That snake must be hiding in there." Valor frowned.
"So, want me to fly us in?" Marcy asked, ready to activate her Calamity Trigger.
"No way, we can't risk getting spotted." Valor said with a shake of his head. "We're gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way!"
The red-headed boy started climbing the wall, using the cracks and windows to scale it before reaching the top, while Marcy used her crossbow to shoot and arrow with a rope and climbed it; thankfully, it didn't break on her. Once they were over the wall, the two duck behind a shed to avoid get caught by a patrol, the two peaking their heads out from behind the shed to look, seeing a small amount of cloaked figures in the compound, all wearing what looked like oni masks.
"Whoa. Looks like you were right, Valor." Marcy commented silently. "We've got a cult on our hands."
"Not after I'm done with them." Valor assured, anger in his voice.
The two snuck through the compound, carefully avoiding the patrolling cultists, before they snuck into the main building. Once inside, they crept through the halls and ducked into a room to avoid another patrol. Sneaking down the hall, they peaked into the room that was quite spacious. Inside was rows of cultists, all wearing the same outfit and masks. And on the stage was a tall, blue-skinned newt with rainbow eyes and a shaved head.
"Greetings, brothers and sister!" The newt declared, addressing his followers. "Now, I know this isn't the best place to set up sanctuary, in comparison to our cathedral back in Swamp Shiro, but know this! The Church of Eternity will always live on, and it's thanks to your devotion!"
The crowd cheered loudly, all the while, Marcy and Valor watched from the shadows, the Taiwanese girl with intrigue as she scribbled in her journal. Valor, on the other hand, was livid, as he stared at the newt that was supposed to be dead.
"So this is Ue?" Marcy questioned silently. "You weren't kidding about him being charming."
"Charm isn't gonna save him this time, I can promise you that." Valor snarled, his flames about to ignite.
Suddenly, the red-headed boy was drenched in water, taking him by surprise, making both teens turn to see several cultists having snuck up behind them.
"Infidels!" One of them yelled.
"Crap!" Valor muttered, trying to ignite his flames, only for it to not water due to being drenched in water. "Mega crap!"
"Don't worry, I got this!" Marcy declared, her eyes flashing green. "Time to go Calamity on their-"
Before she could finish, suddenly, a familiar frequency reached her ears, making her scream in agony and fall to the floor, clutching her head.
"Mars!" Valor yelled, before getting piled on by several cultists. "Get off me!"
After subduing the duo, the cultists, dragged them towards the stage.
"High Leader Ue, we bring you the infidels." One of them declared.
Looking down, Ue stared at them with intrigue before stepping down from the stage.
"How interesting." He mused, holding Marcy's face by the chin, inspecting her face. "Such a round head." He then turned his attention to Valor, the red-headed boy sporting an angry glare, much to his confusion. "And you…I sense such anger, feel its heat. It feels like…killing intent. Tell me, my strange looking creature; what have I done to you, that makes you want to kill me?"
"You already know why." Valor growled in anger. "And it's something the King will never stand for."
"The King?" Ue repeated, his confusion evident, but when he took a closer look face, lifting Valor's chin with his fan for a better look, that was when he joyfully remembered. "Ah, yes! The fire-boy, from seven years ago! Back when I was still at Swamp Shiro." He let out a sigh. "Ah, Swamp Shiro; the culture, the community, the tasty morsels. It certainly did break my heart, that I had to leave because of King Andrias needing to send his Supernova after me. Have you been following me?"
"Nah, just passing through. We just got lucky running into you."
"Oh... is that so?" Ue said with a grin. "Well, I do apologize, fire-boy, but I can't have you causing a scene, when I make the necessary preparations. You know, for the banquet and all."
"Why are you even doing this?!" Valor loudly demanded. "What could've possibly lead you to lying and eating people?!"
"Why? Because it's such a delicious joy to have." Ue laughed, holding his fan up to his mouth. "Plus, as I plan to find out how the King managed to live after all those years, my disciples will forever live through me." He held Marcy's chin up, making the Taiwanese girl shiver from the touch. "And dear little Marcy gets to be a part of that. Actually, I have you to thank, fire-boy. Couldn't have done it without you and your friends."
Anger taking over, Valor tried to break free from the henchmen, but due to him being splashed with water, his powers were useless.
"Put him in a tub of water, but do make sure he can breathe." Ue instructed.
As the disciples begin dragging the two away, Valor shouted, "You won't get away with this!"
"Oh, I do believe I will." Ue cheekily said, as he put his fan to his chin.
Outside, Joe Sparrow saw the whole exchange before turning around and flying away to warn the others.
Back with the Calamity Group, they were finishing getting everything sorted and ready for travel.
"So, what is this town you mentioned?" Anne asked her boyfriend.
"It's called Bilgewater." Shadow explained. "Like I said earlier, it's a fishing town that should have a ship large enough for all of us."
Just then, there was a knock on the door. Shadow walked over and answered, revealing it to be Ivy and Maddie on the other side.
"Hey Shadow." The young witch greeted with a smile.
"Sup teach." Ivy said, holding up several bags. "We're packed up and ready!"
"Hello you two." Shadow greeted, before turning to Ivy. "Did you ask your mother for permission this time?"
"Yup!"
"Are you sure?"
"Totally!"
"So, if I were to go to her right now, she would say yes?"
"For crying out loud, yes!"
Sprig and Kaemon watched, surprised by their girlfriends joining them.
"While we are glad that you're coming along, what brought this on?" The four-sword newt asked.
"Well, someone has to keep you patched up." Maddie shrugged. "Plus, it'll be interesting to see the spellcasters there."
"Izanagi is where all magicians come from." Clarissa chimed in. "I'm sure you will find much to learn."
"As for me, I want to learn about their martial arts." Ivy spoke up. "And learn more ambush tactics!"
"And to spend more time with the boys?" Anne teased, nudging at Sprig and Kaemon.
Both Ivy and Maddie blushed heavily at this.
Suddenly, they heard a bird shriek outside. Stepping out, they saw Joe Sparrow land outside, chirping in distress.
"Whoa, whoa, what's wrong, buddy?" Ina said, gently rubbing the bird's beak.
The sparrow chirped, and appearing to understand him, Ina's eyes widened.
"Marcy and Valor are in trouble?!" She gasped.
The bird nodded before chirping some more.
"Strange men in robes?" Ina said. "Sounds like a cult alright."
"A cult near Wartwood?!" Sprig gasped. "We can't have that!"
"Yeah, let's go break their legs!" Polly exclaimed.
"Now, hold on, kids." Hop Pop said, holding his hands up a bit. "It'd probably be a good idea if we think this through."
"There's no time to think!" Apollo yelled, pulling out his spear. "My people are in trouble and need help! There's no time to lose!"
The prince then sped off in a streak of white, leaving the group in the dust.
"Am I the only one who thinks he's being a little too protective of Marcy?" Sasha asked with a quizzical expression.
"Eh, it's one of his quirks." Anne shrugged, then that they were short one newt. "Hey, where'd Damien go?"
"Oh, he went off the minute cultists were mentioned." Grime said. "I'm not sure why, but he has a fondness for beating down cultists."
Back at the compound, Valor was trapped in a tub full of water up to his neck and chained up to prevent him from moving.
Right now, the red-headed boy was seething with anger at his situation. After seven years, he had finally found the villain responsible for the deaths of so many innocents, only for the monster to capture him and Marcy, doing who knows what to his friend.
He had never felt more powerless, since the day his parents died.
"Yo."
Hearing that casual tone, Valor looked up, seeing Damien sat on the windowsill, a smirk on his face.
"Hey, you're one of Sasha's comrades…Damien, was it?" Valor said. "Quick! Get me out!"
Getting up from the windowsill, Damien kicked the tub over, spilling water everywhere and causing Valor to fall out. He then cut the chains, allowing Valor to get up and stretch his limps.
"Looks like they had you in there for a while." The newt remarked.
"Yeah, they knew how my powers work." Valor growled. "I just need a few minutes to dry up and I'll be ready."
"We ain't got much time, I'm afraid." Damien frowned. "We've gotta save Marcy before those cultists turn Marcy into an afternoon snack!"
Keeping a low profile, the duo crept through the halls, avoiding the patrolling cultists, until they arrived at the entrance to the main atrium, where the majority of the cultists were gathered, the two boys hiding behind large pillars, seeing Ue step out onto the stage, his rainbow eyes sparkling in the light.
"Brothers and sisters!" The newt declared, earning the attention of the cultists. "Today is a momentous occasion! Soon, we will reach the truth of eternity and live forever!"
The crowd of cultists cheered, while Valor and Damien watched from their hiding spots.
"Straight to the point, I see." Damien rolled his eyes.
"And now, we start with a delectable meal."
They boys watched two cultists drag out a restrained Marcy, and their jaws dropped in shock at what she was wearing, or lack thereof; she was wearing a revealing outfit that consisted of a faux leather and metallic bra top with underwire with matching sheer m-slit skirt and panty, along with a metallic chain choker and wristlets.
"Okay, so not only is this guy a cannibal and a cult leader," Damien remarked silently. "He's also a creep!" He turned to Valor. "Dude, we're gonna need to kill this guy."
"Already ahead of you." Valor growled.
Back on stage, Ue went on with his speech. "Miss Wu is a rare treat. So youthful, exquisite," He moved behind the Taiwanese girl, said girl cringing as the newt licked her neck. "So fragile."
Both boys watched with anger before they saw a group of cultists raising a pillar in front of what looked like a fire pit.
"And now, we will feast!"
The crowd of cultists cheered as Marcy was chained to the pillar, unable to break free, despite her best efforts.
"Just you wait, you creep!" She yelled, trying to stay brave. "Once the others get here, you're all gonna be in trouble!"
Ue only laughed in response. "Even if they do, they won't be able to do a thing." He said with confidence. "Because we have this."
The cultists on the stage removed the tarps from the walls, revealing stereo-like devices, which made the eyes of Valor widen in shock.
"He's got one of those things too?!" He hissed. "That would explain why Marcy wasn't able to use her powers!"
Damien was more focused on the cultists, who were just done working to set up the fire.
"Okay, we've gotta stop this, fast!" He whispered. "At least buy some time for the others to show up."
With something resembling a plan, the two boys jumped out from behind their hiding spots.
"Stop right there, you villains!" Valor yelled.
"Let the girl go or things get messy!" Damien added, readying a fighting stance.
Ue looked at the two in shock before quickly recomposing himself.
"Well, you're certainly persistent, Supernova." He scoffed. "But I still have the numbers. Get them! First bite to whoever brings me their heads!"
The cultists lunged at the duo, Damien taking a running start and launching a powerful wind-powered kick, sending the cultist in front of him into a large group of his comrades. More tried to rush him, but Damien delivered a reverse roundhouse to the head, sending him flying, then a sweeping leg kick to several more.
Valor lunged with a punch to the face of one of the cultists, then a kick to the gut of another one. While he needed to wait for himself to dry off, he needed to rely on his hand-to-hand combat skills for now.
Ue watched this, an annoyed look on his face. "Come now, how hard is it to kill two sacks of meat?!" He yelled.
Damien knocked down several more while Valor threw another into a pillar, only for more to come out, trying to swarm them. The two boys stood back-to-back as the cultists surrounded them.
"Got any bright ideas, hot head?" Damien questioned.
"I was thinking of taking out those devices." Valor said, his eyes directing to the nullifiers. "Then maybe Marcy can go Calamity Trigger on their butts!"
"You really gotta stop relying on those party tricks." The toad-raised newt remarked with a roll of his eyes.
Just then, the loud noise of screaming was heard from outside, along with the sounds of combat outside. Suddenly, several cults were sent crashing through the door and tumbling across the floor. Looking over, the two saw a very, VERY, angry Apollo, standing in the doorway, breathing heavy and covered in blood.
And murder in his eye.
"You rotten cretins." He seethed, his remaining eye glowing with ethereal white. "That's. My. WOMAAAN!"
With a roar, his Calamity aura flared up before he charged in with killing intent. Acting quickly, Ue pulled out the hand-held device and pressed the button, activating the machines again, sending frequencies into Apollo's brain, causing him to stop in his tracks, screaming in pain as he fell to his knees, gripping his head.
Seeing this and how Ue was doing it, Damien pulling out a hunting knife and readied to throw it, something Valor took notice of.
"Wait!" He yelled.
But it was too late, Damien having already thrown the knife, hitting the hand and making Ue drop the device, Damien slamming his foot on the device, shattering it. But to his horror, the nullifiers didn't shut off, still causing Apollo and Marcy pain.
"Why didn't that work?!" He demanded.
"It must've been a deadman's switch!" Valor yelled, dodging the attack of another cultist before socking him in the jaw. "With the control destroyed, it can't be turned off! We have to destroy the devices themselves!"
Outside, the rest of the Calamity Group, along with Sasha's group, were fighting the cultists, who were already on high alert the moment Apollo busted in. While the combatants were engaged, the Plantars stayed back behind Frobo and Echo, both firing away with their firearms.
"We've gotta get in there to help the others!" Ina yelled, sending several cultists with her water whips.
"I know, but they have those things inside!" Anne replied, bashing a cultist with her shield. "I can hear them from here, and I don't have a clear shot!"
"Then we improvise." Shadow chimed in. "Sprig?"
"On it!" Sprig declared. "Polly! Boom Shrooms!"
"Here!" Polly pulled out several Boom Shrooms before handing them to her brother.
Seeing what they were doing, Clarissa picked Sprig up and sat him on her back before running forward, evading the cultists trying to stop her. Reaching the inside, Clarissa threw the pink frog into the air, Sprig aiming his slingshot and firing the boom shrooms at the nullifiers, the shrooms exploding upon contact.
The devices destroyed, and regaining his footing, Apollo got up, murder in his eyes before he charged in, roaring like a wild beast as he threw his spear forward, impaling a cultist through the chest and pinning his corpse to the wall. Another tried to jump him from behind, only for the enraged prince to grab him by the head with both hands and squeezed hard, crushing the skull. He then swung his arm out in a chopping motion, slicing a cultist in half. Another tried to jump at him from above, only for the prince to grab him by the leg before slamming him into the ground and making his head bleed, then swung him overhead and splitting his head open with one more slam.
Once Valor and Damien got Marcy free, the trio only watched in horror as Apollo massacred any cultist that dared to attack him. Marcy was especially frozen with terror, watching her beloved go berserk. She had seen his anger before, but never before had she seen him this angry, so much rage. Even Clarissa was taken aback in shock by the prince's fury.
By the time the others had entered, they were met with a gruesome scene that left them shocked. All around the atrium of the complex were the destroyed bodies of the cultists, bloody and torn apart. All the while, Apollo stood at the center of the carnage, breathing heavily, his clothes covered in blood and his eye still glowing.
And Ue was nowhere to be seen.
Working up the courage, Marcy stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. Upon feeling the contact, Apollo spun his head to look over his shoulder, his anger faltering upon seeing the girl he fell in love with, the worried expression on her face.
"Appa?" She said with concern, using the nickname she gave him.
His breathing started to go slower, his adrenaline slowing down, Apollo looked down at his bloodied hands, realizing what he did before collapsing to his knees trembling. Marcy approached and hugged the prince, rubbing his back and pulling his head into her shoulder, the prince silent the whole time.
There was only silence as everyone took in what had occurred. Sasha especially taking in what she saw. She knew that Shadow wasn't the only danger she needed to worry about.
Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her neck before being pulled back before she could utter a word.
"You lot ruined everything!" Ue seethed, tightening his grip, making the blonde girl gasp for air. "No matter; even with such useless followers, at least I'll still have one tasty morsel." He grinned sadistically. "Seeing as everyone hates you, why don't you join me for eternity!"
He then bit into her neck, causing her to scream in pain, but before he could rip out flesh…
Pow!
The cannibalistic newt was met with an armored boot to the face, sending him crashing into a tree.
Sasha raised a hand to the wound, Ina crouching next to her and using her water manipulation to heal the wound.
The next thing he knew, Ue shrank with fear when he saw both Damien and Valor towering over him, both sporting angry glares of murderous intent.
"You wanna start us off?" Valor offered.
"Thanks." Damien said, cracking his knuckles.
"Wait, WAIT!" Ue said in a panicked tone. "I have money, you-"
A kick to the face from Damien was enough to silence the rainbow-eyed newt.
"Buddy, you have no idea how screwed you are." Damien growled. "What you did…"
Rearing a leg back, the toad-raised newt roared.
"CAN'T BE PAID BACK WITH MONEY!"
And so, he proceeded to throw lightning-fast kicks to the cult leader, landing powerful kicks all over his body, powered by his wind powers to increase the speed of the kicks and hit harder. The beatdown went on for what felt like hours until he delivered one final kick to the head, sending Ue crashing through a tree and leaving a crater in the ground. The newt was covered in deep and dark bruises, his eye swollen shut and missing a few teeth.
"He's all yours, dude." Damien said, nodding to the red-head.
With a nod, Valor stepped forward, his arms lighting up with fire, followed by his legs, then his whole body went aflame as he started floating a bit.
The fire manipulator towered over the cannibal newt, his eyes alight with fire as he spoke. "For what you did to the people you tricked and ate. What you tried to do to my friends. What you just did to Sasha. You're now gonna know why everyone calls me..." He raised his arms, creating a massive fireball. "Supernova Valor!"
The rest of the Calamity Group quickly got out of the way as Valor sent the fireball flying straight at the cowering Ue, the group watching as the fireball burned the screaming Ue. By the time it was done, the cult leader was reduced to ash before being blown away by the wind.
Finally, after seven years, Ue was no more.
After dealing with the cultists, the group stopped at an inn for a quick stop, sitting at outside benches and enjoying a warm meal.
"So that happened." Polly spoke up.
"That was Shen's home; no doubt." Sprig remarked.
"What makes you say that?" Anne asked.
"It looked like it belonged to someone important." The pink frog shrugged. "Plus, given that he was a shogun, it seemed to fit."
"Makes sense." Grime nodded.
"Well, with that taken care of, maybe we can focus on the journey to Izanagi now." Marcy said. "And hopefully, put this mess behind us."
"You mean forget how you were forced to dress like Leia that one time?" Anne teased. "I'm surprised Apollo didn't notice."
"I was more focused on saving Marcy." Apollo defended.
"Hey, maybe she'll wear it for you one day." Anne teased again with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
"You do realize we're below eighteen, right?" Apollo deadpanned.
"Teasing and cults aside, we should have everything ready for the journey." Shadow spoke up. "We should take the rest of the day to rest before he depart for Bilgewater."
Meanwhile, in the forest, Valor was sat by himself, his back against the tree as he meditated. Breathing in and out, he focused the elemental energy within his amulet and body. For years, he and Ina were taught to cultivate their powers and develop their spiritual energies, and for the longest time, Ina had always been more in tune with her powers with how versatile it can be, both in offense and defensive. Valor, on the other hand, would always go all in on offensive capabilities, something he cultivated in. Of course, he does try to develop his defensive capabilities.
After today, he knew that he needed to switch things up.
"Copper coin for your thoughts?"
Opening his eyes, Valor looked up to see Damien leaning against a tree with a grin on his face.
"What brings you?" The red-head asked before standing up.
"Just wondering if you could help me in using my powers." Damien told him, pointing at the green-gemmed amulet around his neck.
Upon looking at the amulet the newt had, Valor's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing. "Wait, where did you get that?" He asked, almost demanding.
"I found it in some temple with a statue." Damien shrugged. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
"That is the Temple of the Elements!" Valor exclaimed. "Only those considered worthy by the king would wear them!"
"Huh. Guess it was worthy enough to choose me then." Damien chuckled, as though it wasn't a big deal.
"You don't get it; the Elementals are esteemed protectors of the throne!" Valor said. "It's outrageous that you even somehow came across this by pure chance!"
"So is that a no to my request of asking for training?" Damien said.
"Hey guys."
The two saw Sasha approach, her shoulder and neck bandaged up.
"Feeling better?" Damien inquired.
"Thanks to Ina, it won't get infected." Sasha nodded, rubbing her neck. "I gotta say, she's good at what she does."
"Ina's always been good at healing." Valor smiled. "She always been Cody's best student."
"Speaking of, I never got to thank you guys for saving me." Sasha said with a smile. "But not before thanking you for saving Marcy."
"Well, I always had a special loathing for these cultist scum." Damien replied.
"As for me, my target was there." Valor shrugged. "Still, always happy to help my friends."
"Oh, we're friends now?" Sasha smirked.
"Well, yeah. Just because the others don't trust you, doesn't mean I should."
Sasha smiled. "Well, just to show my appreciation…"
She then moved closer and kissed Damien on the cheek, then, to the newts shock, kissed Valor's cheek, making him smile before the blonde girl walked away.
The newt glared at the red-head boy. "Just so you know, I don't like sharing."
"Careful now." Valor chuckled. "Jealousy is one of mankind's greatest sin."
Not too far, Ina watched the whole thing from behind a tree, her eyes wide with shock at what she saw. It was already bothering her enough that her childhood friend was flirting with someone who tried to kill Azazel, now she's doing the same in return? It not only infuriated her, it was heart breaking to watch.
But Ina refused to sit and be disappointed with herself. She refused to let this harpy steal her best friend like she runs the show.
And there's the new chapter! So, I want to apologize if this seems rushed. I wanted to make sure it was paced well, as well as set up some relationships that should've been established, in my opinion, like Sasha and Ivy. I'm not the only one who thinks those two should've interacted more, like Anne and Sprig, or that Marcy and Maddie should've had more moments together. Hopefully, with the trip to Izanagi upon us, I'll be able to rectify that.
Also, side note, what sort of name should I give Barrel's Warhammer? I'm trying to think up good names for it. Feel free to shoot your suggestions.
Also, I want to thank the Guests sending ideas for some chapters. It really helps and saves me time from writing too much. Keep it up!
Also, I had some fun with creating Ue, as per the Guests suggestion. Besides giving Temple of Doom vibes, I wanted to create a villain that deserves a beat down, similar to Steely Dan or Ciocolata from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. And hopefully, you guys enjoyed him getting his comeuppance.
Next chapter will involve the gang going to Bilgewater, and another Karlia flashback, suggested by our favorite guest! Also, you're gonna see that not everyone is sympathetic to the salamanders.
And with that, I hope you guys look forward to future chapters! And, as always, reviews are greatly appreciated!